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ESD HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOREVER!!! They delay payments even after judges order them to pay hoping people will just give up. It's criminal what they do to people who are already struggling. I waited 14 weeks after winning my appeal before I saw a dime. The system is BROKEN BY DESIGN. Don't let them wear you down.
While I understand your frustration, it's important to note that most post-appeal delays aren't intentional. The implementation of appeal decisions requires manual review to ensure the correct weeks and amounts are paid, and unfortunately, ESD's staffing hasn't kept pace with the volume of claims in recent years. They're legally obligated to pay valid claims and eventually do, even if the timeframe is frustrating.
Update: I want to thank everyone for their advice! I took several of your suggestions: 1. Called the OAH number and they confirmed our appeal should have been implemented weeks ago 2. Emailed unemployment.help with URGENT in the subject line and included all our claim details 3. Used Claimyr to finally get through to an actual person at ESD The agent I spoke with was actually very helpful once I got through. She said our payment was stuck because the appeal decision required manual processing of back payments, and it was sitting in a review queue. She escalated it while I was on the phone. This morning I checked our account and ALL 10 WEEKS have been processed for payment! They should be in our account by Monday. I'm so relieved I could cry. For anyone else stuck in appeal limbo - persistence and using multiple channels simultaneously seems to be the key. Thanks again everyone.
congrats!! im gonna try the same approach. its ridiculous we have to jump through all these hoops but at least you got your money!
One thing that helped speed up my adjudication was submitting very detailed job separation information. My claim was stuck for weeks until I uploaded a detailed letter explaining exactly why and how I was separated from my employer, with dates, supervisor names, and relevant company policy information. Within days of uploading this documentation (using the document upload tool in my ESD account), my claim moved forward. The more specific information you can provide upfront, the less the adjudicator has to investigate.
anybody else notice wen u finally get thru to ESD they act like ur bothering them?? lady i talked to was so rude like im just trying to feed my family here not trying to scam anyone
While you're waiting, make sure you're meeting the job search requirements too! Even during adjudication, you need to be completing 3 job search activities each week. I learned this the hard way - I was finally approved after 6 weeks in adjudication only to find out my first few weeks were disqualified because I hadn't properly documented my job search activities. I thought I didn't need to do them until after approval. Big mistake that cost me almost $3,800 in benefits I never got. Keep a detailed log of every job application, resume submission, networking event, WorkSource workshop, etc. The ESD system lets you record these each week when you file your claim, but I also kept a separate spreadsheet with more details just in case I was ever audited (which does happen randomly).
Oh wow, I didn't realize the job search requirements started immediately. I've been applying to jobs but not recording them in the system. Do you know if I can go back and add them now for my previous weeks? I definitely don't want to lose any benefits over this.
Unfortunately, you can't go back and add job search activities after the weekly claim is submitted. But start recording them now for all future weeks. For the past weeks, if they question it during adjudication, explain that you were doing the activities but weren't aware of the recording requirement. Sometimes they'll give you a one-time pass if it's your first claim and you can prove you were actually looking for work (emails showing job applications, etc.).
Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to upload my documentation today, keep filing my weekly claims, and try to get through to someone about expediting my case due to financial hardship. I'll also make sure to properly log my job search activities going forward. I'll update this thread when I finally get a determination for anyone else who might be in the same situation.
One more important tip I forgot to mention - the identity verification system they use now (ID.me) is much faster than in 2020, but some people still have issues with it. If you have a state-issued ID that's not expired and access to a smartphone with a camera, you should be fine. But if your verification gets stuck, that will hold up your entire claim. Also, they're much stricter now about checking that you're using Washington State's job search resources specifically. Make sure at least one of your three weekly job search activities involves WorkSource or the WorkSourceWA.com website. They're automatically cross-referencing those systems.
Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences - this has been incredibly helpful! It sounds like things have definitely improved since the COVID chaos, but I should still expect some delays if anything triggers adjudication. I'm going to file tomorrow (Wednesday) morning per the advice here, make sure my separation reason is clearly documented, and start my job searches right away. Fingers crossed my healthcare employer doesn't contest anything! Also, I'm saving that Claimyr info just in case I need to actually reach someone. Last time I literally never got through on the phone lines despite trying for weeks.
Fatima Al-Farsi
Am I the only one who thinks its CRAZY that they can just decide someone isnt "good enough" for a job they PROMOTED them to and then fire them?? The whole system is rigged against workers!!! At least document the issues and give people a chance to improve before cutting them loose!!
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Giovanni Greco
•yea its pretty messed up. washington is an at-will state tho so they can fire for almost any reason as long as its not discrimination
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Amara Eze
•While it may seem unfair, the good news is that Washington's unemployment system generally recognizes this situation as qualifying for benefits. Being unable to perform in a new role is not considered misconduct for unemployment purposes.
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Liam McGuire
Update: We submitted the information to ESD yesterday explaining exactly what happened - that he was promoted to lead, tried his best for 3 months, but wasn't meeting expectations in that specific role, and there weren't other positions available. We emphasized that he had 3 years of good performance before the promotion. Now we're just waiting to hear back. Thanks everyone for your advice! I'll update again when we get a decision.
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Amara Eze
•Sounds like you provided exactly the right information. Make sure he continues to file his weekly claims while waiting for their decision. This prevents any gaps in payment once they make a determination.
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